Joshua 2

1 Then Joshua, son of Nun, secretly sent out two spies from Shittim. “Go and explore the land, especially around Jericho,” he told them. So they went, and stayed at the house of woman named Rahab, a prostitute. There they spent the night.

And Joshua the son of Naue sent out of Sattin two young men to spy [the land], saying, Go up and view the land and Jericho: and the two young men went and entered into Jericho; and they entered into the house of a harlot, whose name [was] Raab, and lodged there.

2 But the king of Jericho was told, “Look, some Israelites have come here this evening to spy out the land.”

An it was reported to the king of Jericho, saying, Men of the sons of Israel have come in hither to spy the land.

3 So the king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab, telling her, “Hand over the men who came to visit you and stay in your house, for they've come to spy out our whole country.”

And the king of Jericho sent and spoke to Raab, saying, Bring out the men that entered into thine house this night; for they are come to spy out the land.

4 The woman had taken the two men and had hidden them. She told the king's messengers, “Yes, it's true—the men did come to visit me, but I didn't know where they were from.

And the woman took the two men and hid them; and she spoke to the messengers, saying, The men came in to me,

5 They left at sundown, just as the city gate was closing. I've no idea where they went. If you're quick, you can chase after them and maybe catch up with them.”

but when the gate was shut in the evening, the men went out; I know not whither they are gone: follow after them, if ye may overtake them.

6 (She had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under some bundles of flax that she had lying there.)

But she [had] brought them up upon the house, and hid them in the flax-stalks that were spread by her on the house.

7 The king's messengers went chasing after the men down the road that leads to the Jordan River fords. As soon as the pursuers had left, the city gate was shut behind them.

And the men followed after them in the way to Jordan to the fords; and the gate was shut.

8 Before the spies went to sleep, Rachel came up to the roof to talk to them.

And it came to pass when the men who pursued after them were gone forth, and before the spies had lain down to sleep, that she came up to them on the top of the house;

9 She told them, “I know that the Lord has given this land to you. We're all terrified of you. Everyone who lives here is dying of fright since you people arrived.

and she said to them, I know that the Lord has given you the land; for the fear of you has fallen upon us.

10 We've heard how the Lord dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you completely destroyed.

For we have heard that the Lord God dried up the Red Sea before you, when ye came out of the land of Egypt, and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond Jordan, to Seon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.

11 When we heard all this, our courage melted away. Nobody had any fighting spirit left because of you. For the Lord your God is God of heaven above and the earth below.

And when we heard it we were amazed in our heart, and there was no longer any spirit in any of us because of you, for the Lord your god [is] God in heaven above, and on the earth beneath.

12 So now promise me in the name of the Lord that because I have acted in good faith to you, then you will do the same for my family. Give me some sign that I can trust you,

And now swear to me by the Lord God; since I deal mercifully with you, so do ye also deal mercifully with the house of my father:

13 that you will spare my father and mother and brothers and sisters—and all who are part of their families—that you will save them from death.”

and save alive the house of my father, my mother, and my brethren, and all my house, and all that they have, and ye shall rescue my soul from death.

14 “Our lives for yours!” the men told her. “If you don't tell anyone about this, we will treat you honestly and faithfully when the Lord gives us the land.”

And the men said to her, Our life for yours [even] to death: and she said, When the Lord shall have delivered the city to you, ye shall deal mercifully and truly with me.

15 Then she lowered them down by a rope through the window since the house where she lived was built into the outside of the city wall.

And she let them down by the window;

16 “Run to the hills,” she told them. “That way those searching for you won't find you. Stay there three days until they've gone home, and then you can be on your way.”

and she said to them, Depart into the hill-country, lest the pursuers meet you, and ye shall be hidden there three days until your pursuers return from after you, and afterwards ye shall depart on your way.

17 The men had told her, “We will be freed from the promise you made us swear,

And the men said to her, We are clear of this thy oath.

18 unless when we enter this land, you hang a scarlet cord in the window through which you lowered us. You must gather together in the house your father and mother and brothers—all the family.

Behold, we shall enter into a part of the city, and thou shalt set a sign; thou shalt bind this scarlet cord in the window, by which thou hast let us down, and thou shalt bring in to thyself, into thy house, thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all the family of thy father.

19 If anyone leaves your house and is killed, that's their fault—we're not responsible for their death. But if anyone lays a hand on someone who is inside your house, we take full responsibility for their death.

And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall go outside the door of thy house, his guilt shall be upon him, and we shall be quit of this thine oath; and we will be responsible for all that shall be found with thee in thy house.

20 But if you tell anyone about this then we will be freed from the promise you made us swear.”

But if any one should injure us, or betray these our matters, we shall be quit of this thine oath.

21 “I agree—may it be as you say,” she replied. She sent them off, and hung a scarlet cord in the window.

And she said to them, Let it be according to your word; and she sent them out, and they departed.

22 They went up into the hill country and stayed there three days. The men searching for them looked all along the road, but couldn't find them, so they returned home.

And they came to the hill-country, and remained there three days; and the pursuers searched all the roads, and found them not.

23 Then the two men started back. They came down from the hill country and crossed over the Jordan. They went to Joshua and explained to him all that had happened to them.

And the two young men returned, and came down out of the mountain; and they went over to Joshua the son of Naue, and told him all things that had happened to them.

24 “The Lord has placed this land in our hands,” they assured him. “All the people who live there are scared to death of us!”

And they said to Joshua, The Lord has delivered all the land into our power, and all the inhabitants of that land tremble because of us.